Opponents of a state law that lets utilities charge customers in advance for construction of new nuclear plants plan to rally for repeal of the measure at Duke Energy's headquarters in downtown St. Petersburg at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

TALLAHASSEE — State regulators expect to vote today on a settlement agreement over Duke Energy's $5 billion nuclear boondoggle after hours of testimony and questions about whether the deal is good for the utility's customers.

Nuclear plants

Duke Energy has a nuclear power plant in Crystal River and wants to build another one in Levy County. The utility's plans have gone terribly awry: Progress broke the Crystal River plant during an upgrade; it has been out of service since 2009. Concern about repair costs led to the ouster of the new CEO at Duke - hours after it merged with Progress Energy. Meanwhile, customers continue to pay for the new plant in Levy County, even as the price tag quadruples and it seems unlikely the reactor will ever be built.